I am going to walk you through what the federal report—the same one the United States government uses to describe every university in the country—says about Bentley. I am not going to sell you this school or cross it off for you. I am going to explain the map so that you can decide whether your child's journey fits there.
What type of university it is
Bentley is classified as a master's university with larger programs and is within the group of schools that are more selective in their undergraduate admissions profile. It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more, and the highest level it reports offering is a doctorate. That is an institutional fact: it does not mean that the specific major your child is interested in extends to that level or that its undergraduate and graduate programs are connected. That must be asked program by program.
According to the classification that uses data from 2019-20, it is also a highly residential school: at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, and at least 8 out of every 10 attended full time. Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition. Room and board are charged separately, and we will get to those numbers.
It is in Waltham, within Middlesex County, in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the heart of Boston. If your child were considering living at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
One point is worth clarifying right away: Bentley is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Those are three different designations with different histories, and among the 3,012 universities in this directory, only 138 have at least one of the three. Bentley's not having them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
A small community on a medium-large campus
Bentley's student count in the most recent official enrollment was 5,264: undergraduate enrollment was 4,350 and graduate enrollment was 914. It is neither a tiny school nor an enormous one. Compared with the other 941 selective private four-year schools, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten schools in that group have more students. But being large does not mean more options for your child, just as being small would not guarantee more attention. That must be assessed by major, not by the school's overall size.
Within that community, the share of undergraduate students who are Hispanic or Latino is 12 out of every 100. It is a small minority, although its share is above the midpoint of the 941 comparable selective private schools without reaching the highest quarter. If this matters to you or your child, do not leave it at a number: during your visit, ask what is available for Latino students, whether there is a student group or cultural center, or whether someone in the office speaks Spanish.
There are more men than women among undergraduates: out of every 100 students, 39 are women. And fewer than half of first-time students—38 out of every 100—had a reported permanent residence in Massachusetts. Most come from another state or another country, or their residence is unclear in the report. This figure does not measure travel distance or cost, but if your child would have to fly or make a long drive to get there, that expense is included, albeit in aggregate, in the cost of attendance. Build your budget around actual trips, not the map.
How the academic year works and how much what your child has already learned counts
Bentley's calendar is organized by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school stated that it accepts credit from AP exams, as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, previous licenses or certifications, and military or professional opportunities—in addition to credit for military training. Its stating that it accepts these credits does not mean your child will receive them automatically. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrollment, and do not subtract those potential savings from your budget until you have it in hand.
One specific point: in its 2023 report, Bentley said that it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. If your child is looking for that route while still in high school, it is not reported here.
What Bentley is about academically
In a recent year, Bentley awarded 959 bachelor's degrees across 13 fields of study under the federal classification. But the phrase "across" is misleading: business and management accounted for 891 of those 959 degrees. Everything else combined does not reach one out of ten. Compared with the other 942 selective private schools, Bentley is in the quarter with the least variety among the fields of study represented in its bachelor's-degree detail.
This is not a judgment. It is a clear snapshot: if your child wants to study business, they would be entering a school that breathes it. If they want something else, they need to ask specifically about that program—the curriculum, how many students graduated from it last year, and how easy it is to get the classes they need—because such a strong concentration in one area says nothing about how the others operate.
The ratio of students to full-time instructional staff is 12 to 1. It is a low ratio in absolute terms, although it is above the median compared with other schools of its type. Both things are true at the same time. And neither tells you the actual size of a classroom: IPEDS does not report first-year class sizes, only this institutionally calculated ratio.
Bentley also reports two structured options outside the traditional classroom: study abroad and a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends.
Getting into Bentley: what it requires and what actually happens
Bentley does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it identifies five as required: the high school record, completion of the college-preparatory program the university requires, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Put simply, gathering paperwork is not enough here. Your child has to write an essay and needs genuine letters of recommendation.
It also considers, without requiring them, the high school GPA, class rank, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. This last factor—legacy status—is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply in your child's case, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within their control: the essay, the letters, and the academic record.
The published application fee is $75.
Now for the hard numbers on how selective it is in practice. In the most recent cycle, Bentley received 10,482 first-time applications and offered admission to 5,077 applicants. That is an admission rate of 48 out of every 100. Compared with 942 selective private schools, it is on the low side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, admitted a larger percentage of applicants. It is fine for this school to be on your child's list. It should not be the only one.
Here is a number that often surprises families: out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 22 ultimately enrolled. The other 78 had an acceptance in hand and did not take it. Compared with similar schools, this rate falls right in the middle, neither high nor low. Do not read it as a blemish—the federal record does not explain why each person made that decision—but do not ignore it either: what others did does not tell you what your child will be offered. What matters is the letter showing the net price offered to your child.
On testing, Bentley reported a "test optional" policy. The SAT and ACT are not required; if your child submits them, they are considered. Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores—only 25 out of every 100 did so—the middle half scored between 620 and 690 in reading and writing and between 630 and 720 in math. Those numbers describe students who were already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 620 is not a minimum, and that 690 does not guarantee anything.
On transfers: among the full-time bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, only 8 out of every 100 are shown as having transferred to another school without completing here. That is a low proportion compared with similar schools. Separately, in the most recent fall, the number of new students who transferred from another institution was 65. If your child is considering Bentley as a destination after starting elsewhere, request written confirmation, using the exact course list, of how many credits would be accepted before your child transfers.
The sticker price and what each family actually pays
At Bentley University, among 96 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $24,239. Among 76 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $25,331; among 313 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $49,750. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose student count was 96, and the average for the highest-income band, whose student count was 313, is $25,511. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $43,858.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Bentley falls within the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the financial aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The letter containing the aid offer you receive is what matters.
The aid available and how it is distributed
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Bentley, 80 received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. That is a broad reach compared with colleges and universities overall, although compared specifically with the other 942 selective private schools, Bentley falls in the quarter where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the year's average was $32,176.
There is an important nuance here: the federal Pell Grant—the one intended for lower-income families with demonstrated need—reached only 15 out of every 100 students. That means at least 65 out of every 100 aid recipients received aid from another source: the university itself, the state, or another program. The report groups everything under the same label without saying where each grant or scholarship came from, so this figure cannot tell you what your child would receive. Ask the financial aid office directly who awards that aid, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year. A high average among aid recipients is not your offer.
On loans: 43 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recent reported year. Among borrowers, the average that year was $6,825. Compared with similar schools, Bentley is on the low side: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, had a higher proportion of students with debt. This average covers a single year and only federal loans in the student's name—it does not include what parents may have borrowed or debt from banks or credit cards, and it is not the total debt with which someone graduates. How much your child would need to borrow depends on their own financial aid letter, not this overall percentage.
Bentley also reports a tuition payment plan that allows the cost to be managed in installments over the course of the year.
Campus life, athletics, and support
Bentley has its own housing and meal plans, although no student is required to live in that housing—unless a specific program requires it, which must be confirmed directly. Its reported maximum housing capacity is 3,350. The existence of a room does not guarantee a bed for your child in particular: request the rate, application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or has a waitlist in writing.
On ROTC: Bentley did not indicate any ROTC opportunity in its most recent report, while 926 of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide did. The fact that it was not indicated does not prove that there is no nearby option; it only means none was reported in that field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
Bentley does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This information does not say which division each sport competes in or whether it provides athletic scholarships: ask the coach of the sport your child is interested in directly, and it is advisable to get the answer in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels and reports at least one complete program that can be taken that way. However, in the most recent count, zero out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance. All took at least one in-person class. If your child is looking for a fully online degree program, confirm in writing whether one exists for the specific program that interests them.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital collections, participates in interlibrary lending, and its spending exceeds the threshold recorded by the government. That is the baseline; it does not indicate whether there are specific databases for your child's major. Ask about that by program name.
Bentley also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and a published webpage for services for people with disabilities.
How likely your child is to stay and graduate
This is perhaps the area where Bentley looks strongest, and it is worth saying so with the same clarity with which I discussed the price.
Of the cohort that entered in the most recently measured fall, 93 out of every 100 first-time, full-time students remained enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with 930 selective private schools, Bentley is among those that retain the largest shares of their students: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, retained an equal or smaller proportion.
Of the cohort that entered in 2017, 88 out of every 100 graduated within six years—898 out of 1,018 students. At the four-year mark, the figure drops to 79 out of every 100, a difference of 9 points. Compared with 920 similar schools, Bentley is among those with the highest graduation shares.
And looking a little farther out, at eight years: of the annual cohort that entered in 2015-16—which includes full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who already had previous college experience—89 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by the August 2023 reporting cutoff. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 87 out of every 100, only 2 points lower. Compared with similar schools, it is also among those with the highest graduation shares.
Those are high numbers, and it is fair to say so plainly. But a high percentage is not a promise for your child in particular. It describes what happened to a specific cohort in specific years. What is within your control and your child's is making sure they start with their credits in order, know from the first semester who their academic advisor is, and know when registration opens for the courses their major requires.
How to put all of this together
You now understand one of the pieces you need in order to decide. You know that Bentley is a medium-large school with a strong emphasis on business, selective but not impossible to enter, expensive at its sticker price, and still expensive for many families even after aid—unless your family's letter says otherwise. You know that those who enroll tend to stay and tend to graduate within reasonable time frames. You also know which questions remain: exactly how much it would cost your family, whether the program your child is interested in has its own rhythm within that concentration in business, and what community your child will find if that matters to you.
It is your child's responsibility to decide whether they want to study there, write the essay that will be required, and build the academic record that opens that door. It is your responsibility to understand the family's finances, request the aid letter in writing, and support the decision without carrying it alone. Neither of you does the other's work.
Combine what you learned here with what your child wants to study, what they have already built in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan grows out of that combination, not out of a single university.
Note on sources: the information in this article comes from data reported by Bentley University to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2023 cycle and the 2023-24 academic year, except where a different period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Bentley University or the United States government; this article organizes and explains public data and does not constitute personalized admissions advice.